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Religion & Faithentellus@gilmerfreepress.netCopyright 20172017-12-16T07:20:10-05:00G-MM&trade;: Meditation Momenthttp://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171216/
http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171216/#When:06:20:10ZHoly God, as I face another day, I know I am going to face many challenges: to my faith, to my patience, to my love for others. I am going to have constant temptations to lapse into sin. Come to me now, Lord, and stay with me all day. Let your Spirit encompass my mind. Let me know your presence. Steer my hand, direct my words, guide my thoughts in everything I think and say and do. I resolve to live this day as a beacon of your glory, the best I can, with your help. I commit myself to give this day to you. In the name of Christ, be with me and help me.
Amen.
Micah 5:1-5 (ESV)
The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem
Now muster your troops, O city of troops;
siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the judge of Israel
on the cheek.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
And he shall be their peace.
Notes on the Scripture
Micah lived roughly 700 years before the birth of Christ. Here he predicts that the savior of Israel will be born in the tiny town of Bethlehem Ephrathah. There were two towns called “Bethlehem” in Canaan; one of them had been previously called Ephrathah, so Micah uses the word to specify which of them he meant. And there is no confusion — this is the exact town in which Christ was born seven centuries later. The area was actually famous from very early in Hebrew history, as the birthplace of Benjamin (and the home of the small tribe that remained under the rule of David’s blood descendants after the split of the Kingdom of Israel). (See Genesis 35.)
This passage is, truly, one of the great miracles of the Bible, for it is historically proven that the prophecy was made prior to 701 BC, when Micah died. The birth of Jesus of Nazareth in that very town, and his role as the savior of Israel (and all of humanity), standing and shepherding his flock in the strength of the Lord, “great to the ends of the earth,” can be nothing except the fulfillment of this ancient prophecy.Religion | G-MM&trade; | Belief2017-12-16T06:20:10-05:00G-MM&trade;: Meditation Momenthttp://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171215/
http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171215/#When:06:20:27ZOh Holy God, look down upon me, a miserable sinner, and forgive me for the terrible things that I do, against your love for us and against the love that you have commanded us to show for our brothers and sisters. The people of the world are your holy and beautiful children, oh Lord, and I am one of them also. I pray that you will fill me so full of your might and love that I will not sin against myself or anybody else, this day, or ever; but if I do, I plead with you, give me that undeserved grace you showed by the life and sacrifice of your Son, my Lord, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Isaiah 32:1-8 (Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition)
A King Shall Reign in Justice
Behold a king shall reign in justice, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as when one is hid from the wind, and hideth himself from a storm, as rivers of waters in drought, and the shadow of a rock that standeth out in a desert land.
The eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken diligently. And the heart of fools shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of stammerers shall speak readily and plain. The fool shall no more be called prince: neither shall the deceitful be called great.
For the fool will speak foolish things, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and speak to the Lord deceitfully, and to make empty the soul of the hungry, and take away drink from the thirsty.
The vessels of the deceitful are most wicked: for he hath framed devices to destroy the meek, with lying words, when the poor man speaketh judgment. But the prince will devise such things as are worthy of a prince, and he shall stand above the rulers.
Notes on the Scripture
In this passage, Isaiah once more devises an elaborate poem filled with rich metaphor, in order to tell of the time when the wrongs of the world will be righted by a king (who will not be born until 700 years later). Anyone who has seen injustice in the world immediately recognizes what Isaiah means, when he says that deceitful rulers have “framed devices to destroy the meek” — that is, have set up ways to use and impoverish others who are weaker, poorer, or not as smart, even when they speak the truth.
But Christ will stand above the fools who work iniquity and practice hypocrisy, those who “take away drink from the thirsty.” They will no more be called princes or be great; instead, they will try to hide, like men trying to escape a storm by hiding behind a rock.Religion | G-MM&trade; | Belief2017-12-15T06:20:27-05:00G-MM&trade;: Meditation Momenthttp://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171214/
http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171214/#When:06:20:43ZI sit here with my to-do list in my mind, Lord, and I know I need help finding a balance. I am so looking forward to Christmas Day, but, Lord, there is so much to do! When will it all get done? How will I maintain any semblance of inner peace in this “peaceful” season?
I think, Lord, that I need some balance in my life. I feel so torn between wanting to cook and fill my house with wonderful welcoming smells, and wanting to decorate my home. I have shopping to do, and cleaning, and cards to write and mail. When? How?
Help me, guide me, Lord. Help me to set priorities around doing those things that will bring me closer to you. Maybe my home really is clean enough, or maybe I can ask my family or friends for help. Can the cards wait until a quiet afternoon after Christmas? Can my decorations be simpler? Is there more than a little ego involved in all of this?
Help me remember the joy of simplicity, Lord. Help me to remember what I am celebrating. Help me to find it in my heart to call out, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Amen.
Psalm 138:6 (NKJV)
Though the Lord is on high,
yet He regards the lowly;
but the proud He knows from afar.
Isaiah 27:1-6 (ESV)
The Whole World Will Be Filled with Fruit
In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. In that day,
“A pleasant vineyard, sing of it!
I, the Lord, am its keeper;
every moment I water it.
Lest anyone punish it,
I keep it night and day;
I have no wrath.
Would that I had thorns and briers to battle!
I would march against them,
I would burn them up together.
Or let them lay hold of my protection,
let them make peace with me,
let them make peace with me.”
In days to come Jacob shall take root,
Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots
and fill the whole world with fruit.”
Notes on the Scripture
Isaiah is so poetic in his prophecies that he is often hard to follow. Here he foretells the day when God will destroy the evils of earth, with the metaphor of God slaying Leviathan, a mythical sea monster. This is Satan, which he makes clear by describing him as a “fleeing serpent,” but he calls his name “Leviathan” to evoke enormous size and strength, a creature that is not vulnerable to human attack.
In that same day — and like much of the Old Testament, “day” is used to mean a period of time, not necessarily 24 hours — God’s wrath will end. Isaiah recalls the Garden of Eden here, but in the Day of Judgment, God will keep the garden protected from intruders who might tempt or taint the purity of those within it. Adam and Eve will not need to face temptation again.
God’s wrath will then end. If there were “thorns and briers to battle” — objects that invade a garden and are harmful to people — His wrath would remain; he would fight against them and destroy them, or else give them the chance to make peace with Him and come under His protective wing.
Again, this is a fanciful and poetic treatment, for Isaiah depicts God speaking as if He were a king who has subdued all of his lands and is thinking back to the days of war against his enemies. He dreams of how he would treat them, how he might destroy those who oppose him and make peace with those who would kneel to him.
Finally, Isaiah prophesies that the root of Jacob will put forth shoots and fill the world with fruit. (Notice that Isaiah, by likening salvation to fruit, continues the metaphor of the garden.) Jacob, also called “Israel,” was Christ’s ancestor. He was Christ’s physical ancestor, a line traced over thousands of years through Jesse and David. But more importantly, he was Christ’s spiritual ancestor, as his offspring were the keepers of the covenant with God described in the Old Testament.
This is the part of the Scripture that relates to Christmas. It was never God’s intention that the Jews should save the earth; the Old Covenant, in and of itself, was restricted to a very few people, a cohesive race, so that they might come to know and fear God. But someday, Israel will “fill the whole world with fruit,” an idea very different from the covenant of God with the Hebrews where the “fruit” was available only to the Jews. With the birth of Christ, a great transition will occur, for only with Christ will the fruit of salvation fill the world and be available to all people.Religion | G-MM&trade; | Belief2017-12-14T06:20:43-05:00G-MM&trade;: Meditation Momenthttp://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171213/
http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171213/#When:06:20:37ZI pray, Lord, for all who will need strength and courage in the day ahead: For those who face danger. For those who risk themselves for others. For those who must make an important decision today. For people who are seriously ill. For those facing persecution or torture. I ask you, Lord, to give them the power of your Spirit,
Amen.
John 1:19-27 (NASB)
The Testimony of John
This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not ” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,‘ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
Notes on the Scripture
In this passage, John the Baptist recalls the prophecies of Isaiah, that a child would be born who would bring redemption to Israel and to mankind at all ends of the earth. He announces the coming of Christ to all who will listen, saying that there will be one who comes after him, who will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and redeem us from our sins.
He was the last of the prophets of Israel, a tradition that really began with Moses (although there are earlier bits and pieces) and reaches its zenith in very different men, Elijah and Isaiah; the first was a worker of miracles, the second a teller of prophecies. But John recalls both of them, the scruffy Elijah who is a man of action, and the wonderful Isaiah, whose last prophecies have not yet been fulfilled.
One great attribute of John was that he accepted exactly what God had set out for him: no more, no less. He was to live in harsh conditions, primitively, eating insects and wearing skins like a caveman, then giving all the glory to his slightly younger cousin; after this, he was to be jailed and beheaded. He did have a great deal of glory and the wonderful satisfaction of knowing how many people he had helped to find salvation.
As Paul says, we are one body with many parts, and each part has its function, none greater than any other. Let us remember, then, all of those who serve Christ without external glory, without making much money or getting a lot of praise and status. The people who quietly organize and clean up and make food for events, the people who stand all day ringing bells to collect money for the Salvation Army, the volunteers in the church library — all the saints of God who serve Him without much recognition.Religion | G-MM&trade; | Belief2017-12-13T06:20:37-05:00G-MM&trade;: Meditation Momenthttp://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171212/
http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171212/#When:06:20:44ZI arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I arise today through the strength of Heaven
the rays of the sun,
the radiance of the moon,
the splendor of fire,
the speed of lightening,
the swiftness of the wind,
the depth of the sea,
the stability of the earth
the firmness of rock.
I arise today through the power of God:
God’s might to comfort me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to lead me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s Heavenly Host to save me
from the snares of the devil,
from temptations to sin,
from all who wish me ill,
from near and afar,
alone and with others.
May Christ shield me today
against poison and fire,
against drowning and wounding,
so that I may fulfill my mission
and bear fruit in abundance.
Christ behind and before me,
Christ behind and above me,
Christ with me and in me,
Christ around and about me,
Christ on my right and on my left,
Christ when I lie down at night,
Christ when I rise in the morning,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone that speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Amen.
The Historical St. Nick
Saint Nicholas of Myra was born in western Anatolia (Turkey), then the hotbed of Christianity, around 270 AD. He was persecuted and imprisoned, but rose to become the Bishop of Myra, where he died in December of 345 AD. He was said to have worked many miracles and became so popular that his remains were stolen in 1087 by Italian merchants and transported to Bari, Italy, where they can be seen today. He is the patron saint of children.
One of the earliest legends that was attached to his name tells how St Nicholas heard of a man who could not afford the dowries for his three daughters, with the result that he intended - regretfully - to send them to the brothel to work. St Nicholas saves them from this fate by throwing three bags of gold through their window at night: it is this tale which is often identified as the root of St Nicholas’s reputation as a gift-giver.
Santa Claus circa 1920.
Cults grew up around his legend in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches and he is well-known throughout continental Europe, from Russia to the Netherlands. In Germany and surrounding areas, a practice arose of giving secret gifts to children from St. Nicholas on his feast day, December 6.
The practice was so popular that it was adopted and, because of the date, associated with Christmas in much of Europe and North America. He was gradually transformed into “Santa Claus” (a Dutch colloquialism for St. Nicholas), starting around 1860. The current Santa was strongly influenced by Scandinavian immigrants, Clement Moore, and the Coca-Cola Company.
Isaiah 26:18-19 (ESV)
We were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind.
We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.
Notes on the Scripture
Like Paul in Romans 8:22, Isaiah uses the image of pregnancy to describe our state as human beings. Here, Isaiah uses pregnancy to symbolize the pains we take, and the pain we suffer, in order to try to deliver ourselves from the destruction we slowly undergo in our bodies and lives while we are on earth. We try and try, but all we accomplish is to give birth to the wind; eventually our earthly accomplishments blow away, invisibly, leaving no sign behind.
But our lives are not in vain, because the earth is pregnant with our dust. The earth will give birth to the dead; a symbolic morning will come and the dew will be God’s light, which is to say, Christ Jesus. Remember the beginning of Chapter 1 of John: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” When we pass away from this life, it is as if the earth is pregnant with us; and we will be born into God’s bliss when the light of Christ shines upon the earth once more.Religion | G-MM&trade; | Belief2017-12-12T06:20:44-05:00G-MM&trade;: Meditation Momenthttp://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171211/
http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171211/#When:06:20:25ZLord God, let me not put my trust in the words of men, for their minds are weak and their tongues are tainted by the world. Let me not put my trust in the thoughts of my mind, for I am filled with sin and self-deceit; but let me test everything having to do with faith against our only true teacher, Jesus Christ, and the true Word of God that He inspired the apostles to write in the Bible.
In Christ’s name, I pray,
Amen.
Psalm 134 (ASV)
Greetings of Night Watchers.
Behold, bless the Lord, all servants of the Lord,
Who serve by night in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your hands to the sanctuary
and bless the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
He who made heaven and earth.
Matthew 25:1-13 (ESV)
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.
And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Notes on the Scripture
This parable of Christ is easily understood. Christ is the bridegroom, and the virgins are the people of earth awaiting his coming. Those who prepare themselves for the coming of Christ will enter into “the marriage feast,” which is Christ’s kingdom. But those who do not prepare themselves, Christ will deny.
Because we do not know when Christ will come, we must prepare ourselves now, with daily prayer and the reading of God’s Word. We must at all times remember our belief in Christ and our faith in His resurrection, and we must honor Him with our praise.
During Advent, we prepare to celebrate the first coming of Christ, his birth as a human child to a humble young woman who spent the night in a barn. This echoes our waiting for Christ’s return, and the joy we express in remembrance of Christ’s birth echoes the joy we know will come when Christ returns to us.Religion | G-MM&trade; | Belief2017-12-11T06:20:25-05:00G-MM&trade;: Meditation Momenthttp://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171210/
http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171210/#When:06:20:20ZGod, grant me the grace to be patient and vigilant in watching, waiting, and listening attentively, so that I won’t miss Christ when he comes knocking at my door. Remove whatever hinders me from receiving the gifts which the Savior brings — Joy, peace, justice, mercy, and love. And let me always remember that these are gifts that are only received by giving; let me remember, during this season and throughout the year, the downtrodden, the oppressed, the outcast, the prisoner, the weak, and the defenseless, with my prayers and with my substance.
In the name of Christ I pray,
Amen.
1 Chronicles 17:11-14 (Holman CSB)
The Lord’s Covenant with David
“When your time comes to be with your fathers, I will raise up after you your descendant, who is one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to Me.
I will not take away My faithful love from him as I took it from the one who was before you. I will appoint him over My house and My kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.“
Luke 1:5-17 (ESV)
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Hebrew high priest burning incense at the altar
Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Notes on the Scripture
Today, with two weeks left until Christmas, we start our Christmas readings in earnest. The birth of Christ is bound up with the birth of John the Baptist. God did not send Christ into the world cold, as they say in the theater (and in sales). John the Baptist was His warm-up act and His emcee; he introduced Christ to Israel by prophesying His imminent arrival and then by baptizing Him in the Jordan River.
Their ties began before their birth. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were Levites, the descendants of Aaron, the tribe from which Judaism took its priests. As would happen to Mary in six months, John’s father was visited by an angel (Gabriel) to inform him of a miraculous birth. In John’s case his birth was remarkable because of the age of his parents. As happens several times in the Old Testament (most notably Sarah), God chooses a barren woman, past the age of conception, to bear a child of a special significance. Thus, people will find it easier to accept the child as special, since his conception was a miracle. His mere existence is a sign of his significance.
John the Baptist reminds us somewhat of Samson. Both were born to barren women; both were announced by an angel; and in both cases, the angel forbade them to drink alcohol. (See Judges 13.) Samson’s strictures were more stringent than John’s, because he was a Nazarite, and was forbidden to cut his hair or beard. John, however, although not a member of a formal monastic sect, would prove to lead a monastic life: living in the wilderness in rough clothing and surviving on locusts, as a sign of his dedication to God.
Note that the name “Zechariah” can cause some confusion. It is a good transliteration of the ancient Hebrew, but various versions of the Bible Latinize the name to Zacharias or even Zachary. However, there is a more important Hebrew prophet also named Zechariah. This person lived 500 years earlier, and his prophesies are contained in the Book of Zechariah, the penultimate book of the Christian Old Testament.Religion | G-MM&trade; | Belief2017-12-10T06:20:20-05:00G-MM&trade;: Meditation Momenthttp://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171209/
http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171209/#When:06:20:19ZLord God, let me not put my trust in the words of men, for their minds are weak and their tongues are tainted by the world; but let me test everything having to do with faith against our only true teacher, Jesus Christ, and the true Word of God that was inspired through the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Psalm 135:5-7 (ESV)
For I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
Isaiah 25:6-9 (ESV)
He Will Swallow Up Death
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Notes on the Scripture
After reading a couple of the baleful prophecies, concerning the terrible wrath God will bring some day upon the world (such as yesterday’s), it is a relief to get into the wonderful, thankful prophecies of Christ and the salvation and joy He will bring.
We are in the season of feasting. Most of us spend the weeks from Thanksgiving through New Year’s eating lots of great food, and we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that we didn’t invent the idea. The idea of combining a celebration with a great meal extends until the earliest days of history, and most likely, before.
We certainly see lots of feasting in the Bible. But Isaiah, of course, is a prophet and a poet, and when he mentions the feast that God will prepare in today’s Scripture, he means it to symbolize a specific idea: Salvation. And not just Isaiah; the greatest feast in Christian life is the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, or Holy Eucharist — despite their differences, just about every denomination celebrates the Last Supper, because Christ commanded us to do so.
But Isaiah’s feast is not in an upper room. It is on a mountain; and it is not real, but a prophecy, a vision. Mountains in general tend to symbolize power, or nations, in the Old Testament, and without doubt Isaiah means to invoke Jerusalem specifically in this passage. The city itself was and is, geographically, on a mountain. But Isaiah is not looking to the old Jerusalem, but to a new Jerusalem, a city that will exist only when God’s Kingdom is fulfilled. Revelation specifically echoes this vision of Isaiah’s: “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, . . .” (Rev. 21:10)
One characteristic of mountains: it’s hard to climb up to the top. The mountain of God’s feast is even worse; it is impossible to climb. We cannot get there using our own power. Notice that in the cite from Revelation, the speaker is carried by a Spirit. Just so, we cannot attain salvation using our own power. It is only the grace and forgiveness of Christ that will enable us to reach the top.
Isaiah, more than any of the other prophets, predicted the coming of Christ, and prophesied much about his birth. Other prophets, as well, predicted the birth of Christ, and it is to these prophecies that we often look during Advent. But Isaiah looks much farther ahead in this passage, to the day when Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection should be fulfilled by His return. For this is the Holy City of the Kingdom of God, where Christ will prove his victory over death.
It is a prophecy that is still prophetic for us, as it describes our future. It hearkens to our promise and hope, that death will be swallowed up forever. There is a direct connection between this ancient old man, who lived around 700 B.C., and the last book in the Bible. They even use the same language and imagery. “[A]nd the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,” Isaiah promises. And how does Revelation describe the ultimate end of time for us? “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, . . . He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. . .” (Rev. 21:2-4)
So let us prepare our Christmas feast with every joy and hope for eternal happiness.Religion | G-MM&trade; | Belief2017-12-09T06:20:19-05:00G-MM&trade;: Meditation Momenthttp://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171208/
http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171208/#When:06:20:06ZLord God, the heavens are telling of your glory and the wonders of your love, the sun by day, and the moon and stars by night. Yet, as clouds will cover your sky in gloom, as the ceilings of men’s buildings hide the sky from my sight, so the cares of this existence block your majesty from my mind.
I look with hope to the day when my knowledge of your glory will never be hidden by the concerns of the world, and I may know you every moment of time, forever; but until then, forgive me for all the time I spend with my face bent to the things of earth, your Spirit ignored and forgotten; for you are always there, willing to show yourself to me and guide me and comfort me, if I only lift up my head and see the sky above.
Amen.
Isaiah 24:1-6 (ESV)
Judgment of the Earth
Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
as with the slave, so with his master;
as with the maid, so with her mistress;
as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the lender, so with the borrower;
as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
Sodom, Corot
Burning of Sodom (detail), Corot
The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the Lord has spoken this word.
The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish.
The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.
Notes on the Scripture
Well, this isn’t exactly a rosy cheerful Christmas message. But Isaiah, who predicted the coming of a Savior with astonishing alacrity, fully appreciated what was at stake, and had no compunction about expressing it. To appreciate Christ, we must appreciate fully what He saved us from.
This grim prophecy from Isaiah foretells the future of the physical world, and of the physical humans who inhabit it. Our bodies will die some day. No matter whether we are priests or lords or servants, whatever our station in life has been, our lives as physical human beings will end. And just as we will become old and our bodies will become weak and sick, the earth will become desolate and eventually be “empty and utterly plundered.”
Knowing the certainty of the pain of death, we can appreciate the magnitude of the gift God has given us. Our joy at the birth of Christ, which we celebrate three weeks from now, is as great as our understanding of our future without Him. We are, indeed, safe to hang fragrant wreaths and bask in firelit comfort, for we have been rescued. Christmas is not only a time of joy, but a time of relief.Religion | G-MM&trade; | Belief2017-12-08T06:20:06-05:00G-MM&trade;: Meditation Momenthttp://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171207/
http://www.gilmerfreepress.net/index.php/site/g-mmtrade_meditation_moment_171207/#When:06:20:08ZO God, the creator and preserver of all mankind, I humbly pray to you for all sorts and conditions of humanity; that it might please you to make your Word known to them and bring your saving health to all nations. In particular I pray for the entirety of your church, in all of its many forms; that it may be guided and governed by your Holy Spirit, and that all who profess your name and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth. May all of us live in that unity of spirit which our faith in Christ provides to us, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.
Finally, I commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are ill or in distress, in their mind, body, or circumstances. May it please you to comfort and relieve them in accordance with their needs, giving them patience during their suffering, and a fortunate outcome to all of their problems. And this I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, who was always pleased to relieve the suffering of those he encountered.
Amen.
Revelation 22:12-17 (ESV)
Alpha and Omega
Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
Notes on the Scripture
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last letter. Saying that “I am the Alpha and Omega” is a poetic way of restating that God is the very beginning of all things and will be the very end. There was nothing before Him, and there can be nothing after Him, because He is eternal.
The beautiful hymn highlighted in our devotional today, which prominently includes the phrase “He is Alpha and Omega”, is a remarkable work. The tune is recognizable as Gregorian chant and was actually written at least 1,000 years ago: The first written copy of the tune has been dated to the 11th Century. It was titled Divinum Mysterium (divine mystery) and it really does have a beautiful, mysterious, and spiritual effect on the listener.
The first verse is sung here exactly as it might have been sung a thousand years ago, by an a capella male choir. There is some (very nice) modern harmonization starting in the middle of verse 2, but much of the performance is sung in ancient monastic style (developed long before the musical revolutions of Renaissance and Baroque stying): in unison, in unison with a drone note, or in eerie sounding parallel fifths.
Just as remarkable, the words of the hymn are 1,600 years old! Of course it was originally written in Latin, by someone named Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, probably around 390 A.D. The first line in Latin is “Corde natus ex parentis ante mundi exordium.” The superb translation into English which we currently use was done by John Mason Neale in 1854, and improved by Sir Henry Williams Baker in 1859
Alpha and Omega became a common Christian symbol in the early days of the church; like the fish, it was often used by Christians in areas where they were persecuted, where the authorities would immediately recognize a cross and investigate to identify Christians in order to arrest them. The painting below shows Christ holding a book in His hand, with the Greek letter alpha on one page and omega on the other.Religion | G-MM&trade; | Belief2017-12-07T06:20:08-05:00